Browns players mourn 10-6 season

Monday

There were a million things to do to get ready for San Diego. Then there were none.

There were a million things to do to get ready for San Diego.

Then there were none.

Services for the 2007 Browns season were conducted Tuesday. A clean white jersey hung at each locker stall, suitable for hanging as a wall memorial.

Less than 12 hours after Indianapolis packed it in, allowing Tennessee to walk into the playoffs, the Browns’ next practice was moved from now to July. So soon after winning a game to get to 10-6, it was strange to see players trading goodbyes.

“I’ll drive to Montana, then to Oregon,” he said. Always one to turn a line into a joke, he added, “without stopping.”

No. 24, rookie cornerback Eric Wright, said the end was “real tough.”

“We had our fate in our own hands and let it slip away,” he said. “At the same time, we have a lot of positives we can build on. At this point, that’s all we can do.”

No. 84, wideout Joe Jurevicius, has played in three Super Bowls. The thrill reaching a first-round playoff game would have meant more to some of the younger guys.

Yet Jurevicius comes from a family of staunch Browns fans. No player is more driven to help Cleveland reach a Super Bowl than him.

“We jelled as a team,” Jurevicius said. “It shows what happens when everybody has a common goal. I’m shocked that with 10 wins we’re not in the playoffs, but it is what it is.

“I honestly can sit here and tell you that everything that’s gone on this year ... guys like that feeling.”

No. 80, tight end Kellen Winslow Jr., became the team prophet. He said Sept. 23 at Oakland that a loss “could come back to bite us.”

The Browns lost a playoff tiebreaker with Tennessee based on being one game worse vs. AFC opponents. Winslow put 11-5 in writing as a goal. Had his would-be touchdown catch Dec. 2 at Arizona at 0:00 not been ruled out of bounds, he’d have been right on.

“I told you guys we were gonna turn some heads,” he said. “We wanted to go 11-5. We didn’t. But it’s a stepping stone. We’ve grown.”

No. 10, Brady Quinn, threw his first eight passes as an NFL quarterback on what turned out to be the final Sunday.

“Going in there for a series is a little bit of a tease,” he said. “but it was great.”

The whole season was a tease. Was it more than that?

One by one, those white jerseys disappeared and were packed. There are eight months to wonder.